Bulldogs Basketball is fun for the youth p . 21
Options abound in Wine , Beer and Spirits
p . 13-16
Check out the new Cirque show p . 25
Wednesday , January 4 , 2017
Volume 21 • Issue 1 www . hammontongazette . com
TEXTING DRIVER JAILED
by Gina Rullo
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
MAYS LANDING — A Lumberton woman was sentenced to jail in mid-December for recklessly causing a two-car collision in 2013 that resulted in serious bodily injury to the other driver and for leaving the scene of the collision , Acting Atlantic County
Blachford reflects on time as supt .
by Stephen Pistone
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON — School district Superintendent Dr . Dan Blachford has held his position since 2008 . After almost eight years of ups and downs , achievements , struggles and memories , Blachford will be leaving the district following the 2016-2017 school year . Blachford described the decision to step down as “ complex .” Ultimately , Blachford decided that due to the fact that superintendents often spend too few or too many years at a district — and consequently , its progress can stagnate — the time was right to move on and
See BLACHFORD , Page 4
Police make
several arrests
Slimm . by Gabe Donio
• On December 27 at 12 p . m .,
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER Gabrielle Zippel , 19 , of Hammonton , was arrested on a warrant from
HAMMONTON — Police made Egg Harbor Twp . Municipal Court a number of arrests last week , the in the amount of $ 375 . She was final week of 2016 , including the turned over to the Hammonton Police Department by the New Jersey following , according to Hammonton Police Det . Sgt . Edward
See POLICE , Page 10
Crash injured Badagliacco in 2013
For THG / Kasi DeStefano . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
Hammonton Skating Center held a New Year ’ s Eve party on December 31 . Pictured above are Jeffrey Martinez , Chloe Higgs and Kiley Anderson .
Prosecutor Diane Ruberton announced in a press release .
On August 24 , 2013 , at 12:28 p . m ., Hammonton Police responded to the intersection of Second Road and 14th Street , Hammonton , for a reported motor vehicle collision .
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Investigation determined that Christina N . Marino , then 20- years-old and a Hammonton resident , was operating a motor vehicle — a Ford Focus — northbound on 14th Street at a stop sign
See SENTENCING , Page 10
Kids party until noon downtown
THG / Stephen Pistone . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
Behind the Moon held its annual Noon Year ’ s Eve Celebration on December 31 to welcome in 2017 . The town ’ s youngest residents partied until noon at the Bellevue Avenue store . Owner Brooke Sacco watches as her daughter Elena serves refreshments to one of the revelers . For more pictures , see Page 12 .
New Year celebration at HSC Kramer Hall : Education , culture
by Stephen Pistone
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
by Stephen Pistone
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON — Since January 2013 , Stockton University ’ s Kramer Hall , located at 30 Front St ., has served as a cultural and educational hub for the town of Hammonton . What was once a shoe and clothing factory building is now home to several classrooms , conference rooms and an art gallery that belongs to southern New Jersey ’ s only fine art museum , the Noyes Museum of Art .
Along with Stockton University and the Noyes Gallery , Kramer Hall houses the South Jersey Cultural Alliance ( SJCA ), a non-profit organization that serves more than 100 local arts and history organizations in southern New Jersey . Be-
See KRAMER , Page 8
Looking at New Year ’ s Resolutions
HAMMONTON — The holiday season has come and gone , and as people take down their decorations , finish up bountiful leftovers and embark on local shopping malls — either to return unwanted gifts or spend their recently received gift cards , they also look ahead to the new year . For many , this serves as a critical opportunity for self-evaluation , and it is at this time where they proclaim their New Year ’ s Resolutions . Many are made each year , but many aren ’ t fulfilled . Recently , The Gazette surveyed various residents and professionals throughout Ham- See RESOLUTIONS , Page 3